Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bushâ€™s first term. The federal budget as a share of the economy grew from 18.5 percent of GDP on Clintonâ€™s last day in office to 20.3 percent by the end of Bushâ€™s first term.

The Republican Congress has enthusiastically assisted the budget bloat. Inflation-adjusted spending on the combined budgets of the 101 largest programs they vowed to eliminate in 1995 has grown by 27 percent.

He's brought as much change as he could while kissing the butts of a bunch of blue dog dems and supposedly potentially maybe sorta moderate republicans - who turned out not to exist.

Except Scott Brown, of course :rofl:

Screw coke or pepsi, Tetley or Lipton?

- Passed health reform (watered down by appeal to the right)

- Transferred warfighting in South Asia from Iraq (where we had NO reason to be) to Afghanistan (where he said he'd focus... though I'm not certain that's such a great idea either... though after 7 years for the Iraq mistake, we evidently have institute a 2 year window for success in Afghanistan.

- Achieved financial reform package (too modest to do the job, if you ask me)

- Passed the biggest tax break in U.S. hisory

- Oh yeah, by the way... inherited Economic collapse, years of on-book deficits, & trillions in off-books spending by previous administration, & stabilized economy to the point where recovery is possible.

- For those who give a damn about U.S. jobs, ensured - for now - existence of U.S. auto sector.

When so much of what you do has to do with PREVENTING enormous changes for the worse - such as the last two items - it's really hard to brag about having changed the country.

But when the camera and the mikes are no longer on the bleating twits, we will have at least a functioning beginning for what comes next. What we did before did not work.

You guys are going to complain about change if it happens, and complain that it hasn't happened if it doesn't. The rest of us DO know the rhetorical game.

Here's the thing: as long as people are unemployed in great numbers, it will resonate.